# Video Autoplay Behavior in WebView **URL:** \ **Category:** Bug Reports\ **Created:** [January 28, 2026, 12:09am UTC](https://community.amazondeveloper.com/t/video-autoplay-behavior-in-webview/27426 "2026-01-28T00:09:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![OTTera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@OTTera](https://community.amazondeveloper.com/u/OTTera)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 12:09am UTC](https://community.amazondeveloper.com/t/video-autoplay-behavior-in-webview/27426/1 "2026-01-28T00:09:42Z")
# 👉 Bug Description * * * ## 1. Summary When running a Web app (such as those built previously for Samsung, LG, VIZIO, etc. TVs) in a WebView, video playback is being constrained by typical Chromium autoplay rules. Autoplay does not work using plain vanilla video tags, VideoJS, or Shaka within the WebView unless audio is muted. This makes sense for non-TV context but for TVs (since this is meant to replace native FireTV Android apps) autoplay unmuted should not be restricted. It is a very common use case for a video service to have a video stream start on app load such as for 24/7 linear channels. **App Name** : Still in development **Bug Severity** Select one that applies - X Impacts operation of app - X Blocks current development - Improvement suggestion - Issue with documentation (If selected, please share the doc link and describe the issue) - Other ## 2. Steps to Reproduce 1. `Load a simple HTML page with a video tag within WebView element.` 2. `Attempt to autoplay an HLS stream without being muted.` 3. Playback will not start ## 3. Observed Behavior _Explain what actually happened, noting any discrepancies or malfunctions._ ```auto Playback does not start automatically unless the player is muted ``` ## 4. Expected Behavior _Describe what you expected the SDK to do under normal operation._ ```auto Since this is designed for TV use cases where the user would absolutely expect video players to NOT be muted, it should allow autoplay without mute. ``` ### 4.a Possible Root Cause & Temporary Workaround _Fill out anything you have tried. If you don’t know, N/A is acceptable_ ```auto Root cause is Chromium restrictions for desktop and mobile web browsers being applied to TVs erroneously. ``` ## 5. Logs or crash report _ **`Logs not required`** _ ## 6. Environment _Please fill out the fields related to your bug below:_ - **SDK Version:** 0.22.5850 - **App State:** `Foreground` - **OS Information** Please ssh into the device via `kepler exec vda shell`and copy the output from `cat /etc/os-release`into the answer section below. _Note, if you don’t have a simulator running or device attached `kepler exec vda shell` will respond with `vda: no devices/emulators found`_ ## 7. Example Code Snippet / Screenshots / Screengrabs _Include any relevant code or component setup in React Native that can help reproduce the bug._ ```auto Unnecessary ``` * * * ## 👉 Playback Issues * * * _If this is a playback issue, please provide your content URL, any pre-conditions (like geo-location), and let us know if it’s x86 or arm7._ ```auto Autoplay does not work unless muted until the user interacts with the page. ``` Please share the following details in addition:\_ - **Player SDK:** `Vanilla Video Tag, VideoJS, Shaka all have same issue` - **Player SDK Version:** `All versions` - **Audio Codecs:** `AAC` - **Video Codecs:** `H264` - **Manifest Types:** `m3u8` **Q: If applicable, please provide your media/content url** _If this is created dynamically, tokenized, etc please provide a way for us to access it_ ```auto Cannot provide ``` **Q: Are there any special headers required to reproduce the issue you are facing?** ```auto N/A ``` **Additionally please provide the following if possible** _Provide Screenshots / Screengrabs / Logs. Please include as much information as you can that will help debug._ ```auto Not necessary ``` * * * ## 👉 Additional Context * * * **Any Additional Context you would like to provide?** _Add any other relevant information, such as recent updates to the SDK, dependencies, or device OS that may affect the bug._ ```auto N/A ``` ---
**Author:** ![amen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@amen](https://community.amazondeveloper.com/u/amen)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 12:18am UTC](https://community.amazondeveloper.com/t/video-autoplay-behavior-in-webview/27426/3 "2026-01-28T00:18:47Z")
Hi @OTTera, Welcome to Amazon Developer Community!! Thank you for the detailed bug report on the video autoplay behavior in WebView. Our team is investigating this issue and will provide an update as soon as we have more information. Thanks for helping us improve the Vega platform. Warm regards, Aishwarya ---
**Author:** ![amen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@amen](https://community.amazondeveloper.com/u/amen)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 8:58pm UTC](https://community.amazondeveloper.com/t/video-autoplay-behavior-in-webview/27426/4 "2026-01-28T20:58:44Z")
Hi @OTTera, Thank you for your patience while we investigated this issue. **Solution:** By default, WebView apps require user action to enable autoplay. To enable unmuted video autoplay in your WebView application, you need to modify the `mediaPlaybackRequiresUserAction` API setting. **Implementation:** Please set `mediaPlaybackRequiresUserAction` to `false` in your WebView configuration. You can find the complete API documentation here: [https://developer.amazon.com/docs/vega-api/0.22/webview-component-reference.html#mediaplaybackrequiresuseraction](https://developer.amazon.com/docs/vega-api/0.22/webview-component-reference.html#mediaplaybackrequiresuseraction) This will allow your video content to autoplay without muting, which is the expected behavior for TV applications including 24/7 linear channels. Can you try implementing this solution and let me know if it resolves the autoplay issue you’re experiencing with your HLS streams? Feel free to reach back to me if you have any questions! Warm regards, Aishwarya ---
**Author:** ![OTTera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@OTTera](https://community.amazondeveloper.com/u/OTTera)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 9:41pm UTC](https://community.amazondeveloper.com/t/video-autoplay-behavior-in-webview/27426/5 "2026-01-28T21:41:37Z")
Thank you. This indeed did solve it and did not see it previously in the documentation. I had tried searching for “mute” and “autoplay” and this didn’t come up. This can be closed. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://dhm3gbtzu79o6.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/community.amazondeveloper.com/system/32/5065_2.png) [@system](https://community.amazondeveloper.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 9:42pm UTC](https://community.amazondeveloper.com/t/video-autoplay-behavior-in-webview/27426/6 "2026-02-11T21:42:16Z")
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